The music in movie trailers can be a powerful tool to draw the audience into the experience. With their combination of sound and emotion, they are designed to grab people’s attention and leave them wanting more. From upbeat, energetic tunes to hauntingly beautiful melodies, the music used in trailers has an almost magical ability to stir up excitement and interest. This article will explore several different ways that movie trailer production houses grab our attention with music and make us want to have a fun night out at the theater.
Intriguing Melodies
Movie trailers have long been a hallmark of the modern movie-going experience. At its core, a trailer is an advertisement that seeks to lure people into seeing a film they may not even know they wanted to watch yet. One of the critical elements in achieving that elusive goal is including an intriguing and memorable melody within the trailer.
A good melody will bring out strong emotions in viewers, making them more likely to remember the film when it’s released or seek it out and watch it before then. Even if people don’t remember every specific moment from a movie trailer, if you can recall its melody – either because you liked it or hated it – that’s usually enough to prod you into learning more.
If a sound has truly captivated you, chances are you will find yourself searching for information on the movie and thinking about watching it well into the future.
Fast-Paced Rhythms
Movie trailers are expertly crafted by Hollywood to maximize excitement, and one way that trailer producers grab our attention is through the use of fast-paced rhythms. Such rhythms add a sense of urgency and anticipation to a trailer, driving us to want more, especially for an exciting action film.
Music plays an essential role in this process by underscoring the action with beats and tempo, while sound effects create tension with cutting transitions during intense scenes. As time passes by faster while watching a movie trailer, we are forced to focus on key plot points and become more engaged with the story. With their strategic use of sound design, movie trailers manage to draw in viewers before they’ve even seen the film itself.
Pounding Drums
Movie trailers are a great way for filmmakers to give viewers a glimpse of their work, and great percussion adds another layer of excitement. When the rhythm starts, we’re typically hooked and can’t help but pay attention. It’s a powerful sound that triggers our natural instinct to watch in anticipation of what is coming next.
Inadvertently, these cinematic refreshers spike our adrenaline level according to the patterns set by the drums – fast rhythms representing excitement and slow rhythms depicting suspense. Drums are not only effective in eliciting an emotional response, but they also reflect cultural norms.
Their rich heritage brings back memories of ancient tribes and ceremonies, introducing visuals connected with life-or-death situations or triumphs over difficulties. Ultimately, using pounding drums in movie trailers allows us to become immersed in the drama.
Epic Orchestral Pieces
Epic orchestral pieces in a movie trailer have the power to instantly captivate us, drawing us into the story told on the screen. This kind of music stirs emotion and excites us for what’s to come, and its intensity can increase the anticipation for new films.
By utilizing soaring strings and powerful drums, epic orchestral pieces create an atmosphere that sets the tone of a movie in a few short seconds. Even if we only see snippets of filmed scenes, it can be enough to have a lasting impact on our feelings about what will unfold as soon as we sit down to watch it. It’s no wonder why this type of music continues to be used in film trailers that try to evoke suspense or excitement; they rarely fail at getting our attention.
Familiar Songs Remixed
Movie trailers are great tools to use in order to grab a potential viewer’s attention and what better way to do this than with a familiar song that has been remixed? It can be as simple as adding some bass to the chorus or completely changing the beat, but whatever the creative touch is, it will spark some interest in the viewers.
Free tools for music production are readily available and have recently made it easier for indie filmmakers to experiment with supplemental music for their trailers. This has caused more films to create unique soundtracks that will make the audience want to stay and watch until the end. Whether we like it or not, our brains usually latch on quickly when they hear something they already know, and adding an unexpected twist on popular songs within movie trailers helps draw everyone further in.
Dissonance
Music is a highly-effective tool in any film trailer’s arsenal, especially when it comes to generating attention and excitement. By utilizing dissonance—the jarring sounds of two or more conflicting notes played simultaneously—editors and composers can easily capture the viewer’s attention and leave them craving more. For example, The Dark Knight used this technique pretty frequently and to great effect.
Dissonance often works best when placed at strategic moments: when introducing a significant character or an unexpected twist, during a shot of impending doom, or right before a climactic action sequence. Whatever the context may be, one thing is certain: dissonance in movie trailers serves its purpose by creating an unforgettable experience that keeps us hooked.
Non-Traditional Music
Music in movie trailers has always been an attention grabber. That’s why film studios put so much effort and money into making great, compelling soundtracks for their advertisements. However, in light of the remote workforce revolution ushered in by the pandemic, there has been a surge of remote music collaboration, whereby musicians from around the world unite over the internet and create unique tunes for movie previews.
And collaboration efforts have never been easier. There’s so much free music production software out there. If you’re a home musician, any one of these could be your next digital audio workstation (DAW). Free music-making software is helping to revolutionize where we get our film scores from. Free music production apps also allow composers to work while on the go. If you’re looking for free music software, look to companies like Kompoz, LMMS, Soundtrap, or BandLab.
These remote groups can combine all sorts of eclectic instruments to make truly captivating genre-bending sounds that draw viewers in instantly. Moreover, artists are also using this remote collaboration approach to combine carefully curated pieces from other audio sources, such as rare field recordings or newly-discovered sound libraries, to aurally transport us to mystical fantasy lands without ever having to set foot off our couches. This new brand of remote music composition helps ensure that even the most familiar movies feel fresh and exciting when they hit theaters.
The Bottom Line
Movie trailers are a crucial part of the film experience, and music can be used to create an atmosphere that will draw viewers in and make them eagerly anticipate the release of new films. Whether it is a classic piece from an orchestra, an unexpected remixed version of a popular song, jarring dissonance, or non-traditional tunes, music always serves a purpose in movie trailers and will continue to be an integral part of the film industry.